In 1890 William Robert Phelan was appointed headteacher at Balmattum, a rural area north of Euroa in north-east Victoria. He was 29 years old, the son of an Irish Catholic family in Coburg, a northern suburb of Melbourne. He's my husband's great-grandfather.
Seven years later, in 1897, he married a local girl. Maggie was the daughter of Daniel and Christina McKernan, prominent residents of the area. Daniel was also Irish-born but Protestant, as was his Scottish wife. Maggie was 24 and William was 36. They were married at Maggie's home, the 'Royal Hotel' . The Royal was a combined hotel, post office, general store and residence for about forty-five years. It is now a private residence called 'Hawthorn House' and is owned by a descendant of Daniel and Christina McKernan.
Mixed marriages (as in Catholic-Protestant) were unusual at the time so I'm not sure how it came about and I wonder of what their parents and the community thought of it. William was never a practising Catholic so that may have helped.
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| William Phelan and Maggie McKernan wedding, Balmattum, Victoria 1897 |
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| Jane and Daniel Phelan |
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| Christina McKernan (nee Gordon) |
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| Daniel McKernan |
The wedding was reported in great detail. including a list of all the presents. Apparently the wedding was a 'scene of great excitement', there were about 100 guests and the room was beautifully decorated.
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| Euroa Advertiser, 15 Jan 1897 |
You can see more delightful wedding photos over at Sepia Saturday.
A lovely clear old photo, and a great description too. I have no group photos of my grandparents' weddings, let alone any of great grandparents! Incidentally, we got married on their anniversary, 77 years later (5.1.74). Have a safe trip, Lorraine.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, those beards would so make a great bearded post! A great presentation for this week, very nice.
ReplyDeleteWOW what a fantastic photo!
ReplyDeleteWonderful to have a family photo from so far back; it is indeed to be treasured.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderfully preserved photo of that wedding. It often is surprising how clear & concise those old photos are & how well they enlarge. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have such an old photo. Also great that the home remains in the family!
ReplyDeleteThat is a photo to treasure and you've done a skillful job of isolating the various identities to show their features better.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post based on one photo and one wedding. I am so glad that you know who is who in the photo, kuddos to whoever kept records! We who chase ancestors are always so happy to have that information. And the hotel/home story is also great!
ReplyDeleteTwo of the best beards I've seen and a great old photo.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful photos! Daniel was my great great great uncle - thank you for sharing!
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